Hugh Davis
Executive Director of Communications USD 475
Geary USD 475 will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Fort Riley Elementary School Friday, October 9, 2015 at 10 a.m.

Hugh Davis, Executive Director of Communications for USD 475, confirmed Tuesday that Governor Sam Brownback is among the dignitaries expected to be in attendance.

The new Fort Riley Elementary School is a $22 million project built to replace the 60-year-old facility. With the growth of Fort Riley over the years, this new school now meets the capacity and condition requirements of today’s military students and families. The new school opened on schedule (Aug. 17)for the 2015/2016 school year.

The new school is 76,700 square feet and is designed to be “LEED Silver” with a number of green initiatives. It has space for 500 K-5 students. The school contains classrooms, large collaboration spaces, an innovative library media center, mobile labs, wireless technology and a gymnasium that can serve as a tornado safe-room, built to FEMA standards to withstand 250 mph winds.

The school was designed by the architecture firm Schaefer, Johnson, Cox, Frey and was constructed by Hutton Construction. The project is a partnership between the Department of Defense, Office of Economic Adjustment, Fort Riley and Geary County Schools USD 475.